Amid the sounds of screams and gunfire ringing out, Virginia station WDBJ7-TV quickly switched its live television feed back to the studio at 6.45am on Wednesday, local time, where McBroom was trying to make sense of what had just occurred.

At first wide-eyed and open-mouthed, McBroom quickly regained her composure to tell viewers she would find out what had happened.

Alison Parker and Adam Ward were killed during a live cross in Virginia.

"OK, not sure what happened there," McBroom said, remarkably calmly.

"We will of course let you know as soon as we find out what those sounds were from."

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Soon, station general manager Jeff Marks went on air to deliver the distressing news: reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, had been shot dead during their live report from a shopping centre district near Moneta​ in Virginia.